Law enforcement officers opened a criminal case on the fact of desecration of the graves of defenders in Kyiv. A woman is involved in the vandalism.
Points of attention
- Law enforcement officers have opened a criminal case and are looking for a woman who damaged the graves of defenders.
- Criminal proceedings for violation of a grave provide for up to five years of imprisonment under Chapter 2 of Art. 297 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
- Torn plaques, broken lamps and a mutilated state flag on graves caused a wave of indignation among volunteers and the military.
What is known about the investigation into the vandalism of the Ukrainian fallen defenders graves
As the investigation established, on the morning of June 20, an unknown woman committed an act of vandalism on the graves of dead Ukrainian soldiers on the territory of Askold's Grave in Kyiv.
The graves of defenders Dmytro Kotsyubailo with the call sign "Da Vinci", Andriy Pilshchikov with the call sign "Juice", as well as Pavel Petrychenko were defaced.
Law enforcement officers are establishing the woman's identity and are looking for her.
Criminal proceedings under Part 2 of Art. 297 of the Criminal Code — desecration of a grave. The sanction of the article provides up to 5 years of imprisonment.
The graves of three Ukrainian fallen defenders were defaced
On the night of June 20, the graves of Ukrainian defenders Dmytro Kotsyubailo ("Da Vinci"), Andriy Pilshchikov ("Juice") and Pavlo Petrychenko were defaced. Volunteer and military serviceman Alina Mykhaylova reported the vandalism.
On the graves, commemorative plaques were torn off and broken, lamps were broken, and the national flag of Ukraine was mutilated.
Dmytro Kotsyubailo, with the call sign "Da Vinci," fought as part of the volunteer Ukrainian corps "Right Sector." He was a soldier of the 67th separate brigade and a battalion commander. Since 2014, he has been fighting for Ukraine's defence. He died in the battle near Bakhmut in March 2023.
Andriy Pilshchikov, with the call sign "Juice", was a Ukrainian military pilot. He died as a result of a plane crash in August 2023 in Zhytomyr Oblast.
Pavlo Petrychenko is a public activist and a sergeant of the 59th Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade named after Yakiv Handziuk. The fighter died on April 15, 2024, in the Donetsk region while performing a combat mission. Only a day short of his 32nd birthday.
